Cinderella's Battle
by Sandradite
Summary: Set at the beginning of what is now Camp HalfBlood, Alicia Weldley is whisked into a magical world of fighting and strange creatures. However, the homecoming of the rich Sir Hawkins forces Alicia to decide between her rich prince, and her odd school.


1.

"Welcome, young ladies and gentlemen, to the annual Longmoor ball! It gives me great pleasure to introduce Lord Hawkins!"

A pudgy man, the owner of the estate, took the stand, bowing and clapping to his wife who had just vacated the stage.

"Yes, thank you, everyone. It gives me great honor to host the Longmoor ball this year. Without further ado, let us dance!"

Alicia politely clapped. "He is a bit too overdone, don't you agree, Silene?"

Silene rustled the skirts of her gown and smiled. "Dear Alicia, don't make such a fuss. Lord Hawkins is a proud and most esteemed man. His son is looking for a wife, and it is most probable that he frowns upon those who insult his father." Alicia scowled, but said no more on the topic. Presently, a young man with light brown hair approached the two girls, and asked Silene to dance. She graciously accepted and left Alicia to herself.

Alicia was used to being a wallflower, however, she did not look kindly upon her friend leaving her alone, and scowled once again, picking at the beads on her skirts.

Alicia's stepmother tut-tutted behind her, waltzing by with her father. "Alicia, do at least pretend you want to be here! What are we to do with you, poor girl?" Alicia gave an unladylike shrug, and stomped off to the kitchen, despite her mother's cries for her to glide along the floor.

The cooks in the kitchen gave no notice to Alicia as she snuck out the back door into the darkening twilight. Her shoes were pinchy, her gown to heavy and tight, and she ached to be back in her own home, free to her studies and time to wander around her family's modest estate, but as much as she wanted to, she could not run back to home, for it was too dark and too far and her parents would most definitely scold her for doing so.

Turning around the corner of the kitchen, Alicia arrived in the small yard by the west side of the house. It was quite dark, and had she not been so quiet or bored, she would have definitely missed the tall, dark man standing in the shadows. It took a moment for Alicia's eyes to dilate in the sudden dark, and in that moment in which she blinked, the man must have run away because as soon as she could see better, he was gone. All that remained in her memory was a dark picture of a man in tattered, dark and dirty clothes.

Alicia returned to the ballroom before the third dance had begun, and noticed that Silene had switched partners. When the dance was over, Silene excused herself, and made her way over to Alicia.

"Silene, you won't believe what I ju-", but Silene shushed Alicia with a look as a man of medium height glided over to the girls.

"That's Lord Hawkins' son!" Silene whispered confidentially to Alicia, who politely smiled at the newcomer.

"Good night, young ladies," to which they returned the greeting. "I couldn't help but notice that it is quite unfair to have such a beautiful young woman not participating in the dancing. Oh! But I just had a brilliant idea! Wouldn't you like to dance with me?" Silene swooned, and held out her hand to Sir Hawkins, but he had extended his hand toward Alicia, who reluctantly accepted.

"Oh this is a wonderful music, don't you agree?" Sir Hawkins expressed to Alicia.

"Indeed, sir. I do hope that dinner is half as good as the music they play, for this shall be the most excellent ball." The man smiled politely. "But, sir, how many servants must this estate employ? It must be a great number for such a grand house."

"Oh, many that I do not know. It is a large house, and servants all do seem different each time you see them."

Alicia politely laughed, but continued on. "But your servants your father employs, they must take well enough care of the house." Sir Hawkins agreed, modestly, for he was a polite man who did not wish to brag of his father's accomplishments. "Yet your father, not to be of any offense to him, is proud, and most probably dictates that his servants must keep their own looks looking well, is this not true?" To which Sir Hawkins replied that he supposed so.

"But what is with all this questioning?"

"It- it seemed like a fair enough subject on which one could not draw offense to."

Sir Hawkins chuckled at that, however, Alicia was not please. Her conversation with the lord's son had not answered any questions she had on the mysterious man in the gardens.

After a second dance, Alicia politely excused herself, and found refuge to think in the sitting room. She was peacefully contemplating the strange man when Silene charged in, ready to prattle her ear off, however, Alicia did not wish to speak about who had danced with whom, and whichever couple was destined to marry first. Silene was chattering about how taken the young Hawkins had been with Alicia, and how likely he would ask her to dine with his family in the next few days when Alicia caught the sight of the oddly dusty clothes the strange man had been wearing.

"Alicia, aren't you listening? I said I have heard tell from Margaret Pekins that Sir Hawkins has decided upon remaining here at Longmoor for another season! How she knew this is beyond me, and yet… Alicia, what ever is the matter?"

"I'm sorry, dear Silene, but for a moment I believe I saw a strange man- yes, there he is! Over there," she pointed.

"Alicia, that is the Colonel Brown. You've met him last ball!"

"No, no. 'Tis the man standing beside him. Isn't he oddly dressed?"

Silene narrowed her eyes, and then shook her head. "That is not a very kind thing to say, Alicia. He is as magnificently dressed as the Lord Hawkins! I wonder if he is rich. Well, he can't be as rich as the young Hawkins, else we would know who he is." And with that, Silene went back on her one-sided conversation about Sir Hawkins. Alicia looked back at her friend, smiling kindly, but as soon as she returned her gaze to the strange man, he had disappeared.


End file.
